Nominated by:  Lady Judy

I think my Mom should be Mother of the Year because she is a true Steele Magnolia in every sense of the word! Here's a bit about her. :-)

She was born with a defective heart and told never to have children because she wouldn't live through delivery. She never was told how not to have children and she ended up having 4 of us, the youngest sister when she was 38 and we almost lost Mom that time. She pulled through after having a minor heart attack from having my youngest sister and went on 11 years later and had open heart surgery to replace the defective valve and a hole patched up that was in her heart. She's the strongest, kindest woman and has been through a very rough life, but always keeps an upbeat attitude even when she feels like crawling in bed and staying there. She's my rock and I can only pray I have the strength and patience she has when I get her age. She lost 2 husbands, my Daddy in 1980 from a sudden death heart attack, underwent the heart surgery in 1981, remarried my step-father, aka Daddy2, who recently passed away in Oct. 2005 from a long battle with cancer. She often wonders why God took 2 wonderful men and left her, but we tell her there's a reason and I believe with all my heart, it's to show us girls strength, compassion and generous love. And she shows us that every single day! I love my Mom sooo much and even if she doesn't get Mother of the Year at the Castle, she'll always be Mother of the Year every year to me. :-)
 

Nominated by:  Cherokee Cin

This Mother's day essay is dedicated to my Aunt who raised me my real mom and dad gave us up i was 2 years old and my brother was 1 year old. My Aunt Irvine was and still is like a mom to me if it werent for her me and my brother wouldnt have had anything she showed us the love and the attention a child needs to be shown.She taught us to never do wrong by others no matter what they did to us.We had got alot of things from her and learned many more. She was someone i looked up to no matter how bad the situation was i went to her for the support.Anything i needed she was there. When i needed someone to talk to she was there. My aunt is the best i love with all my heart and soul and would never forget what she has done for me and my brother.


She has the biggest heart even though she can be tough at times i love her no matter what. She worked in the lunchroom at the school i went to for 20 something years and she has now had to retire due to her health she has Parkinson disease and barely can get around. She is the most wonderful person i have ever known.There's times we dont agree on the samething but that is natural. Not everyone does agree on the samething.She deserves the best thing for Mother's Day that can be given to a mom. We got everything from her like Birthday,Christmas presents the little things our mom and dad never gave us and that really hurt cause they never cared for us or our feelings and my aunt was there to let us know we were loved and no matter what our mom and dad did we both knew we were loved and taken care of by our aunt the one we call Mom.


We could never thank you enough for what u have done for us, so this i dedicate to you mom we thank you and love you very much.And we will never forget what you have done.


Love ya Mom
 

Nominated by:  Lady Linda

Throughout my life as a child, my Mom went through lots of hard times.
She had myself and my little brother to take care of by herself, being our father left us to move to another state, without us.
We were never without food or clothes. She made sure of that.
Always had breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for us each day.
We even raised a few dogs and hamsters during that time.
She use to take us on walks to stores downtown that she called window shopping. We didn't have much money to really buy anything.
So she said we could look in the windows at what was on display and dream we would have something in that window one day.
Each night she tucked us in and read us bedtime stories.
I know she must have been worn out in those days after washing clothes by hand, no washing machine in our home.
All dishes washed, no dishwasher either. I don't own one either. Makes me smile to think I might be as strong as her.
We would make her things for Mothers Day at school, and she seemed so happy with what we gave her.
I can't imagine how she always managed to have toys for us on Christmas morning every year.
All I can say about my Mother is I hope I was as good to my children as she was to us. And I hope she knows how much I love her.
I can never repay her.
God blessed me with a Mom, with a heart of gold.
 

Nominated by:  Zarina

 At age 59 (she will be 60 on the 25th of May) my mom does a lot than most mothers do for their children. My sister has three children: two boys, ages 12 and 6, and one little girl, age 2. I have two boys, ages 9 and 3. My mother also has one “daughter”, her lab puppy Suzie. Grandma generally always has her hands full. If not with her grandchildren, with the neighboring children. She helps the children with their school work. She has told me that some of the neighbors tell their children to go see Mrs. Smith for help. She has even watched my cousin's children for several hours after being told it would only be an hour. My mother wears braces on her knees because she is afraid to go have the knee surgery done. Imagine my mother in her braces chasing after my niece or even my nephews and the neighbor kids. Not but a few months ago, my father tried to take his thumb off with the bandsaw and my mother patched him up pretty good before they left to go the doctor. The doctor was impressed with her work and asked where she had learned it. She replied, “my daddy and two brothers.” Momma was the oldest of three children of my grandparents. She had two younger brothers. My mother is a hard worker and despite the pains she may feel, she generally does what she can for those around her. The true Southern spirit lives in my momma. She can cook (very well, though she won’t admit it most times) and she has the hospitality that is rarely seen anymore. Plus she teaches the “golden rule” with a stern paddling. While some my call her mean old grandma to me she is my mother the one who taught me how to be a better person, to say what I thought should be said and to stand up for myself and my family. Without my momma and several in her generation...I seriously doubt that most of our "honest" folk today would be hard pressed to find a more perfect mom with flaws than with mine. She is the most loving and dependable that I can say...bugged her the other month for some salsa she and my daddy were making and she said "come on down and get it." Not to mention when I happened to be picking at her about turning 60, she said to me, "What makes me feel old is the fact that my baby is 30." You are only as old as you feel.